This Torah Portion speaks of two diametrically opposite mind sets--walking by faith or walking by sight. Just as Noah, Abraham received a clear set of instructions fro YHVH. This portion begins with that Instruction in Genesis 12: 1. "Now Adonai had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you'".
Abram clearly showed his mindset to be on the side of walking by faith. He believed (and obeyed) YHVH and it was "accounted to him for righteousness". Genesis 13 shows the two mind sets contrasted together. When the flocks of Abram and his nephew, Lot, became too large to share the same space, Lot clearly walked by sight (v. 10) and chose the plains of Sodom and Gomaorrah.
Very little is said throughout the rest of this portion concerning Lot, other than his continuing trials regarding his poor choice in mingling with the wicked people. He even had to be rescued by Abram. All of chapter 14 describes his ordeals. I guess walking by sight wasn't such a good idea after all. The next Torah portion details yet another rescue, this one by Father Himself.
Yet, Abram was immediately blessed with the presence of YHVH. Beginning at 13: 14 Father promises Abram land, and descendants that number "as the dust of the earth". The key verse in this sequence is v. 15. "For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants FOREVER." YHVH's promises never have been, are not now, and never will be done away with. He is faithful to "watch over His Word to perform it", (Jeremiah 1: 12).
Just in case one might think Abraham was as perfect as any man can get, rest assured he was just as human as you and I. For, not once, but twice he showed very human tendencies with the text of this portion. Shortly after embarking on his initial journey, he morphed from faith to sight. In 12: 10, he beheld the "famine in the land" and kept on going, all the way to Egypt.
Although Scripture really doesn't come out and say it, it strongly infers he might have been better off remaining in Canaan and living by faith. For, when he got to Egypt, he compounded his misfortunes. Chapter 12: 12-13 shows him conspiring with Sarah to present a lie to Pharaoh saying she was his sister. His rouse may have garnered limited provisions, but got him kicked out of Egypt with a degree of disgrace.
I have many times heard the phrase, "God helps those that help themselves". This has almost always been put forth as Biblical principle. Actually, it is diametrically alien to Scripture. In the absence of faith, sight almost always becomes "the monkey wrench" in YHVH's work. Such was the meddling of Abraham and Sarah in chapter 16 concerning Ishmael. That caused a different set of problems--ones with which we live to this day.
Among the many messages contained in this portion, I would like to center on one. YHVH tells Abram in 17: 1, "I am El Shaddai; walk before Me and be blameless". The question begged here is, "How can I walk before Him and be blameless?" Mathew 5: 48 says, "Be therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect". As in this verse, perfection is not the concept YHVH wanted to convey to Abraham.
Throughout Scripture, obedience is the only answer for this question. Any righteousness Abraham possessed was solidly anchored in his obedience to the calling of YHVH. And, ALL of us are called to obedience to His commandments (Torah). We must strive for excellence in pursuance of Torah on a daily basis. When we fail, we have, as Abraham, "an Advocate with the Father"--Yeshua our Messiah.
So, what is the next step? That question is answered affirmatively in 12: 1. "Get out of you country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you". What is that land to which He wishes to take you? It is the figurative land of His Holy Torah. He is calling you out of perverse mixtures of doctrine--away from those that would have you believe Torah was abolished by Yeshua, even friends and family members.
John the Revelator puts it this way in 8: 4. "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.'" If you can stay in any fellowship that substitutes idolatrous rituals and doctrines, among others, of christmas for the holy birth of Messiah, or the pagan rituals of easter for His glorious resurrection, then you deserve and may well receive the plagues spoken of by John.
The beginning of your true Abrahamic faith journey is to forsake all your idols, and those that worship them. Keep His true Sabbath. Keep His true feasts. Pursue His Torah. As Scripture says, "Come out from among them and be separate". Worship Him according to His eternal principles. Then, walk before Him in agreement with Paul to the Romans in 1: 17. "For, in it the righteousness of YHVH is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith".
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